Precinct XIII
by Oni-Gil
Summary: In a city of crime, one unit strives for justice... Can its members solve a series of horrendous murders, even if the killer may be one of their own? Rated for language, innuendo, and blood.
1. The Rookie

**A/N:** Welcome to Precinct XIII! This bunny has been floating in my head for about a month now. Don't expect any quick updates... I've got a bunch of other stories to work on, too, but I'll do the best I can with the time I've got.

Why do I do this to myself?! T.T

So. This is obviously an AU. This time it's modern. I think it was inspired by watching far too much Law and Order, Bones, and CSI and stuff like that. It'll be a murder mystery, eventually.

Enjoy!

* * *

**1. The Rookie **

* * *

  
The guy at the ice cream stand knew them by now.

"Two sea-salts, coming right up," he said the instant they reached the front of the line.

"On me," Riku said, and paid for both in spite of Sora's protests. "Hey, I said it's my treat, in honor of your joining the force and all."

"The police force?" the ice cream guy said. He was dark-haired, with a big nose. "In _this_ town? A squirt like Sora? You're kidding."

"Nope," Sora said proudly, flipping open his wallet to show the guy his brand new badge.

"You joined up yet, Riku?" the guy asked, shuffling through the cash register.

"No," Riku answered. He looked resigned. "Still working at the Belle."

The ice cream guy's next words seemed to be just what Riku expected.

"I'm surprised, considering your family history. Well, not bad to break away. You have a nice day, now. Enjoy."

"Hey, Riku," Sora said thoughtfully as they walked away with their ice creams. It was one of the rare sunny days, and light sparkled on the river. Tourists were enjoying it. "Why don't you enter the force? I mean, well, I don't mean to compare you guys or anything, but your dad and your brother both…"

"Yeah," said Riku. "I know. But one officer in the house is enough. Plus Fridays, you know."

"But wouldn't your dad have wanted…"

"I don't know what my dad would have wanted," Riku said, cutting him off. Sora blinked, dismayed.

"Sorry."

"'s not your fault."

Their bench was empty. The friends took it right away—on sunny days, tourists made up half the crowd and wouldn't hesitate to take this spot, with its spectacular view of the Falls.

"Aren't your cousins from Midgar in law enforcement for that company? Shin-Ra, wasn't it?" Sora asked. Riku smiled mysteriously.

"Something like that."

Sora gave up, turning instead to his own woes.

"I'm nervous," he said. Riku stared.

"Oh, come _on_, Sora!" he scoffed. "You know the guys! You see them at my place, like, every Friday!"

"Not all of them!"

"Yeah, but you know Braig."

"That's about it."

"You've met lots of the others," Riku argued. "Oh, Sora. Look, you've met the captain, haven't you?"

"He's scary!" Sora moaned. "So are some of the others… Ias, and Ranele… she's, like, _beyond_ scary."

"Ranele's a girl. Like Kairi, and Naminé."

"Yeah, right. She's nothing like them."

"Ias is nice," Riku assured him. "So is Ansem. Seriously, Sora. Just stick with Xeha. He'll introduce you to everyone."

* * *

"He took the left hallway."

"I could have sworn it was right."

"It was left. Didn't you learn anything in kindergarten?"

"Shut up. Left it is. Let's go."

The first group ran into the second coming down the next hallway.

"He went in the warehouse door."

"One, Seven, Nine, in. Three, come with me."

"Where's Thirteen?"

"Around back, covering the exit. We'll get him for sure. Come on."

They split into two again, the group of three sliding in through the next door and the other two backtracking. The man was inside, just as they'd expected. The moment he saw them he made a run for it. He tried to open the warehouse door and failed… it was locked.

"That you, Thirteen?"

"Yeah! Got it!"

"Nine, cuff him."

"I'm on it."

"Hold it, hold—"

At the first flash of light on metal, the guns were out, but too late.

"Drop the guns or he gets it!"

"Keep them on him."

"I said, put them down!"

The weapon's aim was transferred instead to one of the others, but the captive was still close enough to danger.

"Bang."

The call came from the catwalks above.

"Gotcha. Game over, boys."

The "suspect" sighed and holstered his weapon.

"I lose. Again."

His former captive laughed, giving him a shove.

"Hey, isn't that the point?" he asked.

"You guys should have dropped the guns. I would have had Axel anyway. He could have shot at any time," the sniper called down. "Could have gotten any one of you. Makes a messy crime scene if an officer dies. Ansem would kill me."

"Makes a messy crime scene if the suspect dies," Axel pointed out.

"Yeah, but when guns are involved, it's gonna get messy no matter what," Demyx said. "Just… why is it always me?"

"Because you need to work on keeping your guard up," Saïx said flatly.

"Is someone gonna let me in?" Roxas called. "I can't move this thing all by myself."

"Let the rookie in," Xaldin said. Demyx helpfully pushed the door open.

"Not bad for a first-timer," he said. Roxas grinned ruefully.

"Yeah. Maybe soon I won't be on back-door duty, right?" he asked.

"Give it some time. More practice. That was smart, locking it up," Xemnas answered. "All right. Let's call it a day."

"Can someone else be the villain next time?" Axel asked. "Why is it always me?"

"Because you think like a criminal," Demyx teased. "It's called typecasting."

"I thought you did good, Axel."

"Session's over, Sora, you can drop the codenames."

Sora scratched the back of his head ruefully.

"Right. Sorry."

He tagged along with the others as they made their way out of the old warehouse they'd used for the scenario this time. Braig locked the door behind them, then stretched and yawned.

"Time for some coffee," he said. "I'm beat, and it's not even six."

"You need to get more sleep, man," Ael told him. "You're the last person we need to get an itchy trigger finger. You might actually, you know, _hit_ something. As opposed to Deym, who will miss whether he's jittery or not."

"Wouldn't caffeine make his trigger finger more itchy?" Sora asked.

"Caffeine's all in the mind," Dilan informed him. "I should hope Braig doesn't let something like that distract him."

"Man, so coffee won't actually keep me awake?" Braig groaned. "Well, fuck."

"No thanks."

"Who said I was talking to you?" Braig scoffed. "Maybe I was talking to Xeha."

"I think _not_, Braig."

Deym chuckled and turned to whisper in Sora's ear. The boy was very red.

"Don't worry, he doesn't mean a word of it," he said. "He's always teasing Xehanort like that, but they're just best friends. They've known each other since they were kids."

"Yeah, I know," Sora answered in an uncertain-sounding squeak. "I go over to Riku's… well, to Xehanort's place on Fridays a lot. Braig's always there, unless he's sick or something."

The group split up as they reached the office. As Sora expected, Braig headed straight for the coffee machine. The brunet followed. He was most comfortable around Braig. The one-eyed man (there were plenty of interesting stories regarding that. Sora had heard at least twenty, but Riku had told him that Braig got his scars from an explosion while on duty) was easier to get close to than Xehanort.

"So, what do you guys talk about?" Sora asked, sampling the coffee. He ended up coughing and spluttering, as Braig smacked his back.

"Careful," the older man warned belatedly. "It was Ael's turn to make it this morning. Spicy. There's always work, natch, or girls, or guys. The gossip. All that jazz."

"You might need to elucidate," Elaeus put in, coming over for a cup. The looming officer had made Sora nervous at first, but he was so courteous and soft-spoken that the rookie had warmed up to him right away. "He hasn't been here long."

"Gossip? What do you have to gossip about?" Sora asked.

"There's always Ansem's love life," Ael snorted, trying some of his own coffee and downing it without a fuss. The others chuckled, but Sora was lost.

"What?"

"The relationships between certain members of the precinct are… interesting to watch and to discuss," Elaeus said.

"Yeah, like our wise and beloved captain's," Braig said with a grin. "Hey, just a little friendly advice to a pal, Sora. Don't walk into Ansem's office during lunch break."

"Why?" Sora asked, still completely lost. Ael's grin was positively wicked.

"'Cause Xeha'll already be in there, and I guarantee they're doing more than paperwork. Trust me. Don't make the same mistake I did. You'll never look at either of them the same way, man."

Sora scratched his head.

"I still don't get it."

"You poor, deprived kid. Don't worry, you'll understand someday."

"Don't corrupt his mind, Ael," Aramuil reprimanded, coming up and seizing two cups. "He's only fifteen. At least wait until he's older."

"Two? Working overtime, Ara?" Braig asked. Ara shook his head with a secret smile.

"No. I'm just heading down to the labs."

"Gonna try and get Vexen to thaw out, huh?" Ael asked. He raised his cup in a toast. "Better you than me. Good luck."

"Why do you call him Vexen if we only use codenames when we're out?" Sora asked.

"Because I think he likes it better," Elaeus said.

"Man, are you kidding? Vexen's never _not_ out," Braig clarified. "Well, not _out_ out like us, but he's always on duty. I swear, he doesn't eat."

"But if anyone can do it, it's Ara," Ael said. "That guy could charm an oyster out of its shell, I swear. Not to mention he's completely mad for him."

"Mad?" Sora asked.

"Forget it," Braig said, as Elaeus wandered off.

"You know, while we're on the subject of codenames and all that, there's something that confuses me," Sora said. "Why is Xehanort Xemnas? Shouldn't Ansem be Xemnas, instead of DiZ?"

"Naw. It adds a little confusion. Same thing with why he's One and I'm Two, but I'm the one who's in charge under Ansem, right?" Braig replied. "I don't know. Just proves that Ansem's crazy. But, you know, a good kind of crazy. Forget it. It's just been that way."

"If I wanted to go down to the lab sometime, am I allowed to?" Sora asked. Braig snorted.

"Feel free. Might wanna bring a barf bag or something. I think Even'd kill you if you messed up the floor."

"Is it really that bad?"

"You seen those shows on T.V.?"

"Yeah."

"It's worse than that. See, on a T.V. you can't smell anything. But when you're actually there… yeah. Go on down if you want. Don't come crying to me after you get nightmares, though."

* * *

**A/N:** Poor Sora is so oblivious. XD

Please review and tell me what you think!


	2. Calm Before the Storm

**2. Calm Before the Storm**

* * *

Riku left work at the Belle River Terrace at five every day, sometimes went for ice cream with Sora, and headed home. He would fix himself a snack, then play video games until his brother arrived, usually at half past seven.

The apartment door clicked shut, and he heard the rustle of Xehanort's jacket on the coathooks in the hall.

"I'm home," Xehanort called, poking his head into the main room. "Video games again?"

"I'll study after dinner," Riku replied absently. By now it was automatic. "What is it tonight?"

"Your favorite."

"What's the occasion?" Riku asked, swiveling to eye Xehanort suspiciously. The teenager couldn't cook to save his life, so he relied on his older brother to cook for him. Xehanort usually only cooked Riku's favorite—beef stew—when he needed a favor.

"Nothing special," Xehanort said. "I'm just feeling pretty good today."

_That_ was an understatement. He was practically glowing. There was something very… alive about him. Riku raised his eyebrows.

"You're going to Ansem's tonight, aren't you?" he inquired innocently. Xehanort grinned, not fooled for a minute.

"Yes, in fact," he said. "Then to the doctor's."

"Yeah, I could tell," Riku sighed, turning back to his game. After a moment, Xehanort sat cross-legged beside him.

"What's up, Riku?" he asked quietly, reaching over to pause the game.

"Nothing. I'm just tired."

"You liar."

Riku bristled slightly under his brother's searching gaze.

"No, I'm fine. Just thinking."

"Look, do you want me to stay home?" Xehanort asked. "Because I will, if you ask."

"You don't have to stay."

"I don't have to go, either."

Xehanort pulled a controller over to himself.

"I'm staying. Come on, let's play."

"You really don't have to do this."

"_Riku._"

Xehanort looked at him seriously. Riku shifted, uncomfortable.

"I want to be here for you. You don't have to be alone all the time. That's why I'm here. I just want us to have some fun time. Brother stuff."

"Look," Riku said. "I'm fine, honestly. Go be with Ansem. You love him."

"I love you, too."

"Yeah, but that's different. What you've got, that's something special. Not everyone gets to have someone like Ansem. You deserve each other."

"But…"

"_Fine._ If it bugs you so much, you owe me this weekend. We'll do brother stuff then. Okay?"

Xehanort hesitated, still looking concerned. Then he smiled.

"Thanks, Riku."

He stood.

"I'll go make dinner. We can eat together, at least."

Xehanort had been like this for as long as Riku could remember. He had been the cook of the family, even before their father died.

Riku couldn't remember his mother, who had died when he was three. Xehanort hadn't had any better luck with his, since his mother had died when he was six. With a lack of motherly affection and their father gone for work most of the time, they'd grown closer. Even ten years and different mothers between them made no difference. They were as close as full brothers.

Xehanort was often anxious about Riku. They had only evenings and weekends to spend much time together, since both left early for work or school and Xehanort didn't get off until seven. Even that time was uncertain, since Riku often went to movies with his friends and Xehanort often went to spend his evenings at the captain's flat.

However, Riku never felt neglected. He knew Xehanort cared from the sack lunch which waited on the counter every morning, often alongside a steaming breakfast. He knew from the taped reminders on the TV to study, however often disregarded they were. He knew because every birthday, he got exactly what he wanted.

"We're all we've got," Xehanort periodically reminded him. This was true, even with the cousins. It would take just a court order to plant Riku in another home, with strangers. Riku could remember the time that one of the places Xehanort had worked at went out of business. The social worker had been especially unforgiving that time. That was the first time he saw his brother cry, when Xehanort thought Riku was in bed and asleep.

Riku had started looking for part-time jobs the very next day.

Xehanort was the breadwinner, since the police work paid well, but Riku did what he could to pitch in. It was the least he could do.

* * *

"I feel guilty about leaving Riku alone so much," Xehanort murmured, resting his head in his hands. "I almost didn't come here tonight. I wouldn't have, if he'd asked me to stay."

Ansem smiled at him. He was a tall man, deep-voiced and blond.

"I'm glad you did," he said, and pressed a kiss to Xehanort's bare shoulder. The younger man flashed him a smile.

"I know. But I _do_ worry."

He leaned against Ansem's side with a sigh. The captain stroked his hair.

"Sometimes I can't wait until Riku can legally live on his own," Ansem said. His breath tickled Xehanort's ear, and the younger man shivered. "Then I won't have to share you. I'll have you all to myself."

* * *

Braig leaned around the plastic barrier to peer at the photos decorating Elaeus' desk.

"That your kid?" he asked. "He's cute."

"Jonathan," the large man replied, picking up one of the framed pictures to give him a closer look. "He's five."

"He looks like you," Braig commented. "Gonna be a big kid. How's Nancy?"

"She's fine. Still teaching second grade, but she's thinking about moving up to third."

"That's nice," Xehanort put in, coming up at Braig's shoulder. He took a sip of coffee and yawned.

"Late night?" Elaeus asked. Braig snorted and elbowed his friend, smirking.

"I'll bet."

"I had a ridiculously late doctor's appointment," Xehanort answered, not rising to the bait. "It was the only time he could fit me in, and I was up anyway."

Before Braig could start snickering again, his phone when off and he dug it out of his pocket.

"Hey, Mayes here."

He listened for a moment, his smirk fading. He glanced quickly at Xehanort, who was regarding him curiously, then at the floor.

"Calm down, ma'am, we'll be right over."

He hung up and looked gravely around at them. It was unusual to see him so serious.

"Get Ara and Jack. We have a crime scene."

"But the captain isn't here yet," Xehanort said. Braig's mouth tightened.

"Yeah, small wonder."

"What do you mean?"

Braig looked down.

"That was his neighbor. I'm sorry, Xeha. Ansem's dead."

* * *

**A/N:** Dun dun DUNNNNNN.

(Kudos if you can tell me where Riku works! And don't just say the Belle River Terrace...)


	3. CSI

**A/N:** Ugh, I'm so TIRED! And it's only 7:30!!!

In case this gets confusing, the Organization names are used when they're on the job. Otherwise, it's their normal names.

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* * *

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**3. CSI**

* * *

The scene wasn't pretty. Xemnas took one look and sat down hard, covering his face with his hands. Xigbar, who hadn't had as much of an emotional attachment to the captain, composed himself and went to join the other two by the bed. 

"Watch where you step," Luxord advised. "That's a lot of blood."

"Funny how you never realize just how much is in a guy until you see it all nice and spread out like this," Marluxia added. He was kneeling by the body, peering at it intently. "From the looks of things, I'd estimate the time of death around midnight last night."

"Agreed," Luxord said. "Difficult to say the number of wounds until the blood is gone. Impossible to say which killed him until Vexen gets on it. In my professional opinion, I'd say someone really wanted to make sure Ansem was dead."

"Signs of a struggle," Marluxia observed. "He saw it coming. There were no indications that the door was forced, so whoever it was either had clearance or was invited. Only one window, but it's locked and it's four floors up."

"Any prints? Murder weapon?" Xigbar asked. Marluxia gave him an unamused look.

"We just got here," he said. "We haven't had time to explore the place."

"Did you talk to the landlady? She's the one who reported the murder."

"Mrs. Macready? No, but he did," Luxord said, nodding to someone behind Xigbar.

"Beautiful day for a murder, Detective Mayes."

"Mr. Valiant," Xigbar greeted him, turning to shake his hand. "What brings you here?"

"The Macready woman hired me," Valiant replied. He was a stocky man, shorter and thicker than Xigbar. Although he had recently given up alcohol, the beer gut still showed. He looked as though he had just rolled out of bed for this. "She says she sees the victim going to work every day and got worried when he didn't go today. Says she knocked and got no answer, thought he might be sick, and went to see if she could help."

"Looks like she couldn't," Xigbar said. "We've got it handled now, Eddie. You can go on home."

"I'm getting paid good munny for this. Sure there's nothing I can do?"

Xigbar hesitated, then angled his body and lowered his voice.

"Actually, Eddie, there's something you can do for me. Will you take Xeha?"

"Where?"

"I don't know. His place, your place, wherever. Just out of here. And if you're gonna ask him any questions about this, use a little tact, okay?"

"Say no more," Valiant said. "I know a place."

He went over to Xemnas and put a friendly hand on his shoulder.

"Come on," Xigbar heard him say. "Let's go for a drink."

He turned back to the body and sighed.

"There's gonna be a million suspects," he said.

"Let's hope we find some prints," Marluxia replied. "Not to mention the weapon. As soon as we finish taking pictures, we can get the body to Vexen, see what he thinks."

* * *

Everyone at the precinct knew by the time Braig got back, and they were waiting for him. 

"Well?" Ienzo asked. Braig ran his fingers through his hair.

"It doesn't look good," he said. "Well, we're gonna work hard on this, aren't we? I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who wants to find out who did this."

"Is there anyone for me to interview?" Ranele asked eagerly.

"We're about to start putting together a suspect list," Braig said. "Dilan, will you work with me on this one?"

His friend nodded, blue eyes somber.

"Of course."

* * *

Braig's next stop was Xehanort's apartment. Riku wasn't home, since he was still in high school. He found the older brother in the kitchen, sitting listlessly at the little table. Braig said nothing, but merely puttered around the kitchen. He knew where everything was, being practically a resident, and soon he had made two steaming mugs of hot chocolate. He sat down across the table from his friend, pushing one cup over. Xehanort eyed the mug and wrapped his hands around it, but didn't drink. Braig made a noisy slurp, attempting to coax a smile onto the other man's lips. When this failed, he set his mug down and sighed. 

"I'm sorry, Xeha," he mumbled. "It just… doesn't seem fair, does it?"

"I'll be fine," Xehanort replied. "I mean, how much more can I lose?"

He made a pitiful attempt at a laugh.

"That's the spirit," Braig said. "You've got me, dontcha? And I mean, I count for what, ten? And you've always got Riku."

"Yeah," Xehanort answered dully, but he took a sip of his hot chocolate. This was an encouraging sign.

They sat in silence for a while, nursing their cocoa.

"So where'd Eddie take you?"

"Some place where Dolores works. Didn't catch the name, but it's right by the station. Pretty nice crowd."

There was another silence. Braig muddled words around in his head for a while, trying to decide how best to breach the subject. Finally, he shrugged.

"Dil and I are investigating," he said.

"Why not me?"

"You know as well as I do. You're too close to this one, Xeha. Besides, you've got that serial killer to work on. Someone's gotta find that guy. He would have wanted that."

Xehanort exhaled slowly, staring down at the table.

"I mean, you'd say the same if it were me," Braig added, and his friend reluctantly nodded. He leaned forward, meeting Xehanort's eyes earnestly.

"You know there's nothing I wouldn't do for you," he said. Xehanort nodded, his eyes lingering on Braig's scars.

"I know," he said softly.

"I'll find out who did this," Braig promised. "Don't you worry about a thing. You just concentrate on finding the creep who kills the doctors, 'kay?"

* * *

**A/N:** Quick, find the Disney characters! There were 3! 


	4. Forensics and Suspects

**A/N:** Um, dang, I thought this chapter was longer. XD

So, this story is done. That's a record time, for me. Just need to type and put up the next eight chapters! Enjoy!

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**4: Forensics and Suspects**

* * *

-

"You got anything for us, Ev?" Braig asked, carefully looking away from the numerous cases already in the lab. The thirteenth precinct was short on funds and understaffed, so Even was the only forensic scientist they had. He had gotten offers to be transferred, but either he was loyal to his former classmates at the academy or he preferred the solitude, for he stayed where he was.

"Total of four wounds," Even reported, handing over some papers held together by a paperclip. "Caused by a sharp, jagged object. I'm checking for traces of it, but nothing yet. The third chest wound killed him. The slash across the neck was superfluous."

"Did you find any foreign DNA?"

Even indicated the papers impatiently.

"Forgotten how to read?"

"You know I can't read this chickenscratch," the detective quipped back. Even sparred him a harried glare.

"The only foreign DNA in the room or on Ansem's person was what I expected."

"Xeha _did_ say he went over last night," Braig said, pursing his lips to hide a smirk. "Rough play gone too far?"

"Spare me," Even said dryly. "This is a murder investigation, Braig. We can't rule anything out."

"There were other visitors after Xehanort's departure," Dilan deadpanned.

"Spoil my fun, I was only joking," Braig grumbled. "Is that it?"

"For now, yes."

Even rested for a moment against an occupied examination table.

"I'll give it all I can, but…"

"But you've got other stiffs to work on, yeah, we know," Braig finished. "Not too many volunteers for this sort of work."

"I've noticed."

"You're the best of the best, Ev."

"I know. Now get out."

-

* * *

-

"Jack and Ara looked around some more," Elaeus told them, passing a stack of papers over. "Left these for you, but they had to fun. Got a multiple homicide on Fleet Street. Something about a deranged barber, I think."

"Thanks," Braig replied. Dilan took the sheaf and Elaeus went away. "Did he say barber?"

"I believe so."

"This world. Anything good, there?"

"The door's records. Photos. Some of Ansem's papers, cases he worked on in his spare time."

"Feed it to Tron. See if he can make anything of it. I'll go get into Ansem's laptop. Guess the password?"

"What is it?"

"The hint is 'the key to my heart.' How sappy is that?"

"Don't tell me."

"Yep. 'Xehanort.' Cute, isn't it?"

-

* * *

-

"Well, fuck," Braig said.

"Agreed," Dilan said.

"That's, like, half the city!"

Braig flipped through the stack of papers Tron had expelled for them, shaking his head.

"We have no leads," Dilan reminded him, "and no solid motive. I just entered in a few broad criteria, and this is what Tron gave me."

"What criteria?"

"Anyone the door would authorize. Anyone with a history of hacking, or good with technology. Anyone we've put away, highlight anyone Ansem was directly responsible for. Anyone who visited him that evening. And a few more."

Braig waved a section of the list.

"Dude. That's bogus. We're all here."

Dilan gave him a wry smile.

"Who's to say it wasn't one of us? We all had access to Ansem's flat. They're all color-coded, by the way. Green has one of the characteristics, yellow two, red three or more. Right now they're grouped by association. We're going to group them by color."

"This is crazy, Dilan. We need to find one guy out of all of this?"

"Then we should get started."

"Lots of people connected with Maleficent," Braig commented after a few minutes.

"All of her known associates, yes."

"No love lost between her and Ansem, that's for sure. We should get Ael out there."

"I'm sure he already is. By the way, there will be more characteristics to input once we have more from CSI and forensics."

"Is that good or is that bad?"

"Both," Dilan said. "There will be more suspects, but the lists will be more refined."

They finally hit the bottom of the stack after what seemed like hours of sorting.

"There," Dilan said. "We'll want to interview all of them that we can, get some alibis."

Braig looked through the smallest pile.

"Got some nasty-looking characters, here. Hey. Xeha's been red-listed."

"He fits many of the characteristics," Dilan said, examining the file. "He'll be our first."

"Cut the guy a break, will you?" Braig said quietly. "Hasn't he been through enough?"

Dilan met his gaze, nodding.

"I know," he said. "But Even's right. We can't rule anything, or anyone, out until we know more."

"He's the only one of ours on the red list. Hey, here's Maleficent. Pity she won't be available for questioning, unless we get really lucky really fast."

He flipped to the next file.

"You've got to be joking," he said. "The doctor killer? Tron's malfunctioning. He only fits one characteristic; why's he red-listed? Ansem's no doctor. I thought Tron used only specifics."

"Tron thinks—"

"He's a fucking _computer_, Dilan, he can't think."

"Artificial intelligence, Braig. Tron thinks we should consider it as a very serious possibility. Ansem has been involved in that case since the beginning. Maybe the killer got fed up with us being on his tail."

"All right, maybe Tron's onto something… does possible motive factor into this?"

"Not yet. Tron doesn't do psychology. That's up to us and Ienzo. Once we've interviewed, we can more people up and down the lists depending on their alibi, or lack thereof, and possible motive. We need to think outside of the box on a case like this."


	5. The Alibis

**5. The Alibis**

**- **

* * *

-

"Hey, Braig?"

"What's up, Sora?"

"Tell me something about Xehanort?"

"Shoot."

"A few years ago he was gone for a while. Riku stayed with his relatives in Midgar. What was that all about?"

"Oh. Three years ago."

Braig was quiet for a while. Then he started talking again.

"That's what we call it, by the way, that incident. 'Three years ago.' That was when there was a spike in gang activity, mainly Maleficent's crowd. Xeha was kidnapped by them. He was M.I.A. for four months. We all thought he was dead, but he musta escaped somehow, 'cause I found him on the streets. He was half-dead, anyway, and he had amnesia. Didn't have a clue who I was, or who _he_ was, or Riku, or anyone. Couldn't remember anything. The doctors fixed him up as well as they could, but to this day he still can't remember those four months. Probably just as well. Scary time for all of us. We don't like to talk about it much."

"Oh."

"Mm."

"Sorry."

"Don't be."

-

* * *

-

"All right, gimme some alibis."

Dilan checked his list.

"Elaeus Wulkan. Left work a bit after seven, confirmed by clocking out, 7:02. Went straight home and had dinner with his wife, confirmed. Watched the game, went to bed. The building's security tapes confirm that he never left."

"Got all that, Tron?"

"Removing Elaeus Wulkan from the list."

"Ias… I can't even pronounce that."

"The pot calls the kettle black, eh, Mr. Dilan Buddha-Calamari-Hindu-whatever?"

"Your misuse of language astounds me. Anyway. Ias, clocked out at 7:08. Went to visit his sister in Eighth Precinct, came back late. His sister confirms the visit but was unable to recall the exact time. No camera confirmation."

"Ias whatever stays on."

"Braig Mayes. Clocked out at 6:40. Naughty, naughty. Went for a drink, confirmed by the bartender and others. Time of departure uncertain. Went home, confirmed by neighbors. No one saw him leave, but they weren't really looking. No camera confirmation. Too bad, Braig, you stay on."

"Sad day."

"Computers should be seen and not heard, Tron."

"Jack Durol went on a date with Ranele Evans. Confirmed by their waiter. Came in at eight, stayed for a while, left a bit before ten. Went back to Jack's apartment immediately, confirmed by the doorman. Neither came out until the next morning."

"Whoo."

"Yeah."

"Jack Durol and Ranele Evans are off the list."

"Executing."

"Sora Jansen checked out at 5 exactly, went for ice cream with Riku Gallagher, confirmed. Came home a little after six, had dinner, studied, went to bed. Confirmed by Mom."

"I didn't think the kid had it in him, anyway. Take Sora off the list, Tron. Speaking of Riku, I've got his. Left the Belle River Terrace at 5:03 and went for ice cream with Sora Jansen, confirmed. Went right home and played video games until bedtime. Only break was dinner. It's not confirmed, since play time on a video game runs while the game is on pause."

"Mm. That's cold— pause, kill someone, keep playing. Keep him on."

"Even Winter. Worked late, as usual. Clocked out 9:46. Went to a movie with Aramuil however-the-heck-you-pronounce-that… good job, Ara!... confirmed by the ticket gut. The movie let out at 11:26, he arrived home around one. What was he doing all that time?"

"Keep him on."

"Aramuil something-or-other clocked out at 7:01 and went home. He went to a movie with Even Winter at 10:00. Came out of the movie at 11:26. Got home at about 12:20, with Even."

"Oh."

"Ah. Well, there's still a gap that fits the T.O.D. They could have been accomplices. Keep them both on the list."

"Dilan Buddha-Calamari…"

"Just… stop."

"Okay, okay. Clocked out at 7:32. Went home right away and ate dinner. Watched the game. Went to bed. Confirmed. You lucky bastard, you're off."

"Thank you."

"Xehanort Gallagher. God, I love it when he has to tell people his full name. Clocked out at 7:13. Went right home and made dinner. Confirmed by Riku. Left home around 9 and went to Ansem's. Stayed from 9:22 to 11:17. Then he went to the doctor's… at 12:30."

"Late appointment. Well, that's not so unusual in a town like this. Is it confirmed?"

"By the doctor's records. The doctor's close… he still fits in the window. Xehanort stays on. Ienzo O'Hara… that's another good one… clocked out at 7:20. Went grocery shopping and got home close to nine, confirmed by security cameras and witnesses. Went out again a little before ten to go clubbing with Ael Roberts and Deym Rossi, confirmed by camera. Left around one. Unconfirmed."

"He stays on."

"Ael and Deym clocked out at 7:00 exactly, went to a movie at eight, confirmed by the ticket seller and by camera. Got out at 9:40 and went clubbing with Ienzo, confirmed by camera and others. Time of departure unconfirmed for Ael. Deym re-entered his apartment just before twelve, confirmed by the neighbors and cameras."

"Got it, Tron?"

"Ael Roberts is still on the list. Deym Rossi checks out."

"Is that everyone?" Dilan asked.

"From our guys, plus Riku."

"Still, that's a lot of our men on the list. Has Ael been talking to his contacts in the underworld?"

"Yeah. A few different groups have claimed responsibility publicly, but nobody really knows who did it."

"Ael's a suspect. We can't count on it."

"Yeah, well, we can't count on half of CSI, our only psychologist, forensics, and me. You're one of the only ones we _can_ trust, Dil. We just have to go with what we've got. Tron, remind me. Who checked out?"

"Sora Jansen. Elaeus Wulkan. Jack Durol. Ranele Evans. Deym Rossi. Dilan Kassamali."

"See? _He_ can pronounce it," Dilan teased. Braig rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah," he said. "But that leaves me, Ael, Xeha, Ienzo, Even, Ias, and Ara. Plus Riku. Dil, do you really think it was one of us?"

"It's all right, Braig. There are plenty of other suspects."

"What about motive?" Braig asked. "Got anything?"

"Some. You?"

"Maybe. Nothing too probable, though. We should talk to Ienzo."

They were interrupted as Aramuil knocked on the door.

"Even found something interesting," he reported when they opened the door. "He says you should come see."

"Why can't he ever come up here?" Braig complained, but he and Dilan followed anyway.


	6. Further Forensics

**A/N:** I'm sorry, for some reason these chapters are all really short. XD**  
**

* * *

**6. Further Forensics**

**- **

* * *

** -**

"I'll look from a distance, thanks."

"Honestly, Braig. I _knew _you'd say that. That's why I've got these."

Braig and Dilan leaned close to the photos Even slid over to them.

"Notice anything?" the scientist asked.

"What's this?" Dilan asked, tapping the picture. "That mark on his neck. It looks almost like…"

"Exactly. I found bits of the rope under his fingernails, but there wasn't enough DNA to pinpoint his attacker."

Braig leaned back in his chair, earning a disapproving look from Even.

"So the killer tried to strangle him, he put up a fight, the perp figured it would be easier to stab him and get it over with. Well, fuck. Tron was right."

"We're looking at the latest in the doctor murders," Even finished, looking far too smug for his own good.

"We find out who killed Ansem, we nab the same guy who's been evading us for years," Dilan said. "Do you have anything else, Even?"

"This killer is good," replied Even. "He left just as much of his DNA at this crime scene as he did at all the others—that is to say, not enough to identify him by. He does nothing wrong. He gets in and out without raising suspicion. He never leaves the murder weapon. He cleans up after himself and shuts the door on his way out. It's like he knows exactly what we'll be looking for."

Braig and Dilan exchanged glances.

"The only foreign DNA I've found is still Xehanort's," Even went on.

"To be expected, since he visited earlier."

"And got comfortable, judging by the state of the bedsheets."

"Even, that is gross."

"I'm stating the facts, Braig. But I _do_ have something else for you."

"I knew it. I can tell when you're gloating."

"I found this in the wounds," Even said, handing over a packet of what looked like sand. "Traces of the murder weapon."

"Great. What is it?"

"Glass."

Dilan peered at the packet through narrowed eyes.

"Even, I think you're onto something."

"We need to go back to the scene," Braig mused. "And take Xehanort along."

-

* * *

- 

"Well?" Braig asked quietly. Xehanort looked around, eyes sad.

"What am I looking for?"

"Anything that's missing that should be here."

"Something is missing," Xehanort said softly. Braig hesitated, then put an arm around his friend's shoulders. It was a familiar enough gesture of comfort. Dilan looked away politely.

"Okay. We need to know if something is misplaced, or not there entirely. Just go through the place. You know where everything belongs. Anything you can give us is helpful."

"Try the bedroom first," Dilan suggested. "See if anything has changed since you came that night."

Xehanort dutifully entered the room, Braig and Dilan following. He looked around, eyes skipping over the bloodstains on the carpet. After a minute or so, they came to rest on the bedside table and he frowned. Offering no explanation, he went to the kitchen and checked the cupboard, then the dishwasher.

"Did CSI move anything?" he asked.

"Only the body. Sorry," Braig apologized hastily. Xehanort shook his head.

"There should be a glass on the bedside table," he said. "It was always the same routine: dinner, a drink and a book, bed."

"Book yes, drink no," Braig said. The triumph was obvious in his voice. He and Dilan exchanged glances again.

"Tell me what's going on," Xehanort said.

"Sorry, Xeha," Braig said. "You're not on this case, remember?"

"I _should_ be," Xehanort hissed. "Tell me. At least let me stay."

"But the regulations—"

"Let him," Braig interrupted. "Just let him stay. Xeha, Dilan and I are trying to figure out exactly how this happened."

Xehanort nodded and stepped back. Braig paced around.

"So. Ansem's light was on when we found him, so he was still awake when the killer came in. He must have seen him coming. If it was someone he knew, he wouldn't have panicked until he saw the rope."

"Rope?" Xehanort murmured.

"If it was a stranger, he would have gotten up right away," Braig went on. "Either way, he turned his back, or was turned. The rope got around his neck, but he wasn't going down without a fight. There was a struggle. The glass on the table was broken, probably hit the wall. The killer gave up on his premeditated M.O., grabbed one of the shards of glass, and stabbed him instead. Even says the third stab killed him. The slash across the throat was intended to hide the rope mark."

"All this about a rope," Xehanort said. "Like the doctor killer."

"It's a possibility we have to consider," Dilan informed him. "The M.O. would match up, if he'd been able to go through with it."

"And Ansem's been on the case since the beginning," Xehanort said. "With my help."

"Yeah, about that, we'll need copies of the files."

"This isn't fair, Braig!" Xehanort exploded.

"I said it before, I'll say it again: you're too close to this one, Xeha. I know you want to help, but these are standard regulations. You know you'd say the same if it were me."

Xehanort was silent, staring at the stained floor.

"Fine," he whispered, then turned and left.

-

* * *

**A/N:** And remember, you can start throwing in guesses at any time. u.u 


	7. A Question of Motive

**7. A Question of Motive**

**- **

* * *

-

"What I wanna know, though," Braig said, "is why?"

They were on their way back to the precinct. Xehanort had responded to a call from Jack, leaving Braig and Dilan in Ansem's flat.

"I mean, we've narrowed it down, haven't we? And it looks like it's someone we know. Worse, it looks like whoever killed Ansem killed all those doctors, too."

"Talk to Ienzo," Dilan replied. "I'm no psychologist, Braig. Serial killers are messed up in the head. That's his department, not mine."

-

* * *

-

Braig took his advice and went to loiter around Ienzo's office until the woman inside took her leave.

"Got a girlfriend?" he asked as soon as he was inside. Ienzo looked coolly at him over the top of his glasses.

"A client. Have you ever considered the possibility that your apparent obsession with women yet inability to remain consistent in your relationships could be due to a subconscious state of denial about your sexuality?"

Braig snorted.

"I don't swing that way. Next you'll be saying I killed Ansem out of some male possessive territorial thingummy."

Ienzo only blinked. He had zero sense of humor.

"We can't rule anything out," he said. "And I've been examining how everyone reacts to this. No one's acting suspicious in any way."

"Maybe none of us did it. Maybe someone's a good actor. Maybe you're lying."

"If I did it, I would implicate someone else. Unless, of course, I thought you knew that I would implicate someone else and so implicated no one."

"Or if you knew that I knew that you thought that I knew that you would implicate someone else and so didn't implicate anyone."

Ienzo looked like he was trying very hard not to smile. As it was, he adopted that annoying superior expression of his.

"Don't try to outthink me, Braig," he said.

"No kidding. I have no idea what the hell I just said."

Ienzo made one's brain hurt after only a minute of conversation. Sometimes Braig couldn't stand the kid, but they had been in the academy together, and he had blackmail material. There was only so annoyed you could get at someone when you had seen him drunk enough to make out with posters of Jessica Rabbit.

"Actually, I came to talk about serial killers," he said, and Ienzo nodded like he'd been expecting it.

"The doctor killer. You think he had something to do with this?"

Braig had to remind himself that Ienzo was a suspect, and he was smart.

"Maybe."

"Did you know," Ienzo said, "that every mass murderer or serial killer I've ever known was sexually abused at some point or other?"

"I had no idea."

"Anything the conscious mind can't handle, it pours into the subconscious," Ienzo went on, gesturing at his own head to demonstrate. "That stuff has to come out somehow."

"Hey, women who get raped don't normally go around killing people. What makes some people go nuts, and others not?"

Ienzo flipped his hair out of his face.

"No one knows. Men are more innately violent than women, and more likely to take it out on others."

"Why's that?"

"Men have a sex drive. That's the bottom line, anyway. Some primitive possessive instinct, you wouldn't understand all the jargon."

"So. Wrenching the topic back to our man. What's he got against doctors—and psychologists, by the way, although I sympathize with him on that one?"

Ienzo shot him a dirty look, but refrained from retorting.

"That's the mystery," he said. "Aside from being all professionals in the medical or psychological fields, they share no other common factors that I can see. Men and women, no particular race or age group. No correlation in their dates of death, either. The murders happen at random intervals, aside from the first three. This leads me to believe that perhaps killing is not always the first thing on our man's mind. He may kill out of necessity…"

"When is it necessary to kill innocent people, Ienzo?"

Ienzo looked down.

"True. Perhaps he wishes to hide something? Some medical or mental condition? Perhaps we're dealing with a split-personality disorder, when the killer half is triggered by the danger of his secret getting out… Xehanort and I, and Ansem and I before that, have been trying to find a pattern of some sort."

"Nothing?"

"Not yet. Ansem mentioned something about a breakthrough… shortly before his death."

Braig nodded. This supported his hypothesis.

"Whatever he found out, it wasn't in the casefile. But if the killer was good enough to delete his visit from the door's records or hack into the apartment, he could have hidden or deleted the files. Thanks, Ienzo."

"Don't mention it. Consider that thing I mentioned to you."

"As if."

Braig's phone rang and he answered.

"Xeha, hey."

He frowned at Xehanort's next words.

"All right. Thanks."

He hung up, looking over at Ienzo.

"Speak of the devil," he said. "Xeha's got another one. The good doctor was strangled."


	8. Modus Operandi

**8. Modus Operandi**

**- **

* * *

**- **

"We'll be taking this case," Xigbar said. Xemnas had been ready for this. He stepped aside with nothing more than a glare in Xigbar's direction.

"So what do I do now?" he asked.

"You get to hand over the files," Xigbar answered.

"Please," Xaldin added.

"As soon as we're back at the precinct," Xemnas muttered. "What does this have to do with Ansem?"

Xaldin shook his head, and Xigbar followed suit.

"Sorry, that's confidential."

Xemnas seized the skinny man's arm and pulled him aside.

"Enough of all this ridiculous secrecy," he hissed so Xaldin couldn't hear. "Braig, we've known each other for twenty-three years now. Please."

"We figure that Ansem made a breakthrough on the doctor killer. The guy got spooked and offed him."

Xemnas frowned, teeth worrying at his lip.

"How could they know that Ansem was getting close?" he murmured. "Do you think it was one of us?"

"We hope not, but it looks that way. Either that, or someone leaked information."

"But only Ansem and I were on that case, and he never mentioned anything about a breakthrough to me."

"I don't know, Xeha. There's a lot we don't know. It's not a perfect hypothesis. Ienzo said you guys have been looking for a common factor among the victims," he added, raising his voice for the benefit of the others. Xemnas still frowned, but he shook his head and played along.

"Yes, but we haven't gotten anywhere."

He leaned close again.

"Keep me informed," he muttered, then turned away.

-

* * *

-

"Hey. Rookie."

Sora jerked out of his half-doze in time to intercept a flying disc. Braig had thrown it.

"Study that. You're gonna help us catch a murderer."

-

* * *

-

The serial killer was only known as "the doctor killer." He had, Sora read, murdered six times, or seven with Ansem. His M.O. was always the same, with one or two flourishes presumably added for effect. Each victim was found dead in the morning, strangled with a rope. The murder weapon was never left behind. The killer never left any fingerprints or significant traces of DNA. He erased himself from the door records and was never caught on tape.

The victims were three doctors, two of which were police-employed, and three psychologists, one police-employed. The killings had begun three years ago with the death of the police. The two other psychologists had been killed later, their dates of death apparently random. There were no commonalities among them, or at least none had yet been found.

Sora studied the files at home, perusing them into the night. Finally, his wild fantasy that he would be the one to discover the link between the killings gave way to fatigue, and he fell asleep at his desk.

-

* * *

-

It seemed like the only thing anyone was doing at the precinct. Braig and Dilan were consulting with Ienzo, all three bent over endless appointment records. Xehanort was hoarding Ansem's laptop, exploring his files.

Finally, Sora gave up and went to meet Tron. According to Jack, Tron was state-of-the-art, the best technology the precinct had outside of forensics. It startled him at first to hear the computer say his name, but once he got used to it, Tron made for some fascinating conversation. So engrossed was Sora that he didn't notice the time's passing until Tron mentioned it.

"Oh," the rookie said. "Wow, I should go. I'm supposed to meet Riku for ice cream."

"Take care, Sora."

"Bye, Tron!"

Sora was just about to clock out when a phone rang. He looked around, but the others had all gone elsewhere while he wasn't looking. He picked up the phone.

"Yeah?"

"Sora, that you? It's Deym. I'm just… uh… checking the phone. Yeah, that's it, we had an outage, is all. Listen, is Braig there?"

Sora glanced around.

"Um, nope." He wasn't falling for Deym's lousy story. "What's up, Deym?"

"Um… could you come up here and help us out? If you see Braig or Dilan, bring them along. See you in a sec."

The line went dead. Perplexed, Sora hung up. He checked in Ansem's… now Braig's… office and found both detectives inside.

"Oh, uh, Deym said he needed you upstairs," he reported.

"I thought I heard something," Dilan said.

"Bet he blew up the water heater again, or something," Braig agreed, grinning. "Not like we'd hear. I swear, these floors are so thick we would miss a gunshot."

-

* * *

-

"Told you so."

Braig inspected the hole in the window, then the wall where the bullet had lodged itself. He turned to see a shaky but mostly unharmed Ienzo being helped into a chair by Elaeus. The only injury the small man had sustained were some small cuts where bits of wood had struck his face.

"That was close, eh, Ienzo?"

Ienzo was staring out across the street, where a curtain fluttered in an open window.

"It isn't funny, Braig. He knows," he muttered. "He knows that we know that he did it."

"Dammit!" Braig swore, striking the wall. "How does this keep getting out to him?"

"He's one of us," Elaeus rumbled. "He has to be."

"But Dil and I haven't been keeping you all posted, or anything!"

No one said anything for a minute. Then Sora said, "So… what if he didn't know? What if this was another of his random attacks, and Ienzo was just the next on the list?"

"No, that's not how he works. He would have waited to use his normal M.O.," Dilan said. "This guy is nothing if not patient. He wanted Ienzo dead, and he wanted it now."

They were interrupted when Ias entered.

"I searched the apartment," he told them. "The door was hacked. The residents aren't home. No weapon, no fingerprints. Nothing."

"Didn't neighbors hear the shot?"

"Yes, and came running. By the time they got there, he was gone."

Braig swore again.

"Ienzo," he said at last. "Have you talked about the case to anyone in the precinct?"

"No," the psychologist stated. "All I did today and yesterday were evaluations. Routine examinations of the officers."

* * *

**A/N:** And as always, feel free to guess! 


	9. More Forensics and Revised Suspects

**9. The Revised Suspects**

**-**

* * *

** -**

"Look at this," Braig said to Dilan, thumbing through Ienzo's reports. "Apparently I've been in denial about Ansem's death for the past few days."

"It doesn't seem to have affected you much. I'm sure Ienzo says that—"

"That I've poured it all into my subconscious, yeah, yeah. Check out Xeha's. Poor guy's been having trouble sleeping. 'Seems jumpy and uneasy.' Well, what do you expect? He and Ansem were real close. Xeha's never taken death well…"

"Is something wrong?"

Braig was flipping back and forth with a frown.

"I dunno, seems pretty short. Maybe Ienzo took something out for study…?"

"He says Even's overworking."

"What a _genius._ I would _never_ have figured that out."

"And it's making Aramuil worried."

"Ha, I'll bet. Ara's smitten. We've got to get them on a date."

"They went to a movie the night Ansem died."

"Something more romantic. I'm thinking Tony's."

"Uh-huh. Look, it's me: 'Shows an almost alarming lack of discernable emotion.'"

"Pfft!"

"Am I really that…"

"…blank? Yeah. Sorry, Dil. You know, that totally turns girls off? They're all into emotion and everlasting love and stuff like that."

"As fascinating as this is?" Tron interrupted.

"Oh, come on. You might learn something to impress Mrs. Computer Program."

Tron's pixellated face gave him a quizzical look. Artificial intelligence, in Braig's opinion, was not all it was cut out to be.

"Yes, Tron?" Dilan asked patiently.

"I have put in and refined the criteria you gave me."

"All right, shoot."

"Of the members of the precinct, four remain on the suspect list: Ael Roberts, Even Winter, Xehanort Gallagher, Aramuil Tomimori. Also on the list are certain associates of Maleficent's and some other residents of the city, including but not limited to Riku Gallagher. Further criteria would narrow the list further."

"And most of the criteria are based on suspect investigators' evidence," Dilan said.

"Yeah. Still, we have to trust in what we have. Tron, keep working on those victims. Add Ienzo, also, but leave Ansem out."

"Affirmative."

-

* * *

-

Tuesday night, Riku realized. It had been almost five days since Ansem's death. Xehanort continued to be miserable, although their weekend together had cheered him. Riku would have to remind himself to try it again sometime. It was nice to work at the happiest place in the world.

"Riku?"

He swiveled in his desk chair to see his brother in the doorway. It looked as though something was bothering him.

"Yeah?" Riku replied, waving at the bed to indicate that Xehanort could come in. The older brother did so and sat.

"I think… something's wrong with me," he said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Riku asked, sliding out of his chair to sit on the bed too. Xehanort wove his fingers together, which Riku recognized as a nervous habit.

"You remember… three years ago?" he asked. Riku blinked; it was rare for Xehanort to talk about the incident.

"Yeah, of course I do."

"I don't," was the murmured reply. "I _still_ don't remember. And that's not all. Sometimes, there are other things I forget. I think something happened to me."

"Something _did_ happen, Xeha, something really bad, and you had to forget about it because you couldn't handle it. That's what the psychologists who examined you said."

Riku hugged his brother hard. Xehanort wrapped one arm around him.

"Do you think I'm messed up?" the older brother asked.

"They checked you out, didn't they?"

"They… yeah. Yeah, I guess they did."

Riku glanced up to see Xehanort frowning.

"I… I don't really remember that."

"Really?" Riku asked. "Well… what else don't you remember?"

"Forget it," Xehanort said, after a moment of thought. "It doesn't really matter. I talked to Ienzo about it earlier. I'm sure he'll tell me what to do."

-

* * *

-

"Well, if you think of it this way, at least we get out of school." Sora said. His voice still trembled. Riku was sitting at Xehanort's desk, face in hands.

"You're sure you didn't see _anything_?" Braig pressed.

"Nothing, nothing, and nothing!" Riku said, for the third time that day. "We didn't see anything, okay? I'm sorry! I'm a little grumpy right now! Wouldn't you be, if someone tried to kill_you_?"

"Riku," Xehanort said. His face was very pale, and he was sitting at Braig's desk, unable to support himself. "Don't. Braig, they didn't see anything. They didn't see."

He looked plaintively at his best friend.

"You know why this happened, don't you?" he said. "He knows we're onto him. He must have thought I was still on the case. He wanted to scare me off."

"I got it, Xeha, I got it," Braig answered. He took a swig of coffee. "Riku, you stay here. Don't go to school. Don't go anywhere. Sora, you're free to go."

"I want to stay," Sora said stubbornly.

"Let him," Riku pleaded.

"Okay, okay," Braig said, throwing up his hands. "You guys stay here. Just hang out. Xeha can give you a tour. Pretend it's 'bring a kid to work day,' or whatever."

-

* * *

-

"You think Xeha's onto it?" Braig asked. "Think he's right?"

Dilan massaged his temples.

"Maybe. Maybe… Maybe Riku knows something. Maybe he saw something he shouldn't have. Maybe Sora did. I don't know, Braig. Maybe it wasn't our man at all. Two kids walking to school get shot at. City like this, these things happen all the time."

"The bullet matched the one that almost killed Ienzo," Braig said, shaking his head. "It was our man, all right. Either Xeha's right, or one of the kids knows something. Maybe they don't know that they know. Maybe the killer only thinks they know something."

-

* * *

-

"So. Braig. You ever take a bullet?"

"Nope. Been shot at, though. Given a few. I took an explosion, once. Ever talked to your brother? He's taken a bullet, for me. So I took the explosion for him. Fair and square. That's what friends are for."

"I'd do that for Sora any day."

"Yeah, kid, I know."

"Braig!"

"What? I'm having some quality time with my best friend's brother, here!"

Dilan shook his head.

"No time to socialize. Even's got something for us."

"Okay, Dil, your turn to babysit. I'll go check it out."

-

* * *

-

"I found something interesting in the most recent doctor's in-tray," Even explained. He handed some papers over. "Take a look at this."

"What is it?" Braig asked, peering at the papers.

"A blood test. After I looked I sent Ara and Jack to take another sample of the blood on the floor. Here's that one."

"Whose is this?"

"_Look._"

Braig did.

"Oh," he said finally. "Well."

"Yes."

"But…"

"Yes."

"Then…"

"Yes."

"Does…"

"No."

Braig sighed.

"Okay. Why don't you go upstairs and tell everyone to get together? I'll be right there."

-

* * *

-

"Hey, Tron."

"Oh! Braig, I found what these psychologists all have in common. They all—"

"Yeah, I know, Tron. Print the data. And confirm this for me."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Thanks."

"Braig."

"Yeah. Thanks."

-

* * *

**A/N:** Hm. Braig knows! Do _YOU?_


	10. The Motive

**A/N:** ...I have lots of smart reviewers. Good work, gumshoes, cause you all guessed the "who." A couple of you even got some of the details right, haha!

XD LIKE I DIDN'T MAKE IT TOTALLY OBVIOUS ANYWAY. XDXDXD

* * *

**- **

**10. The Motive**

**- **

* * *

** -**

Braig paced back and forth in front of the others. He could sense their excitement, but he took a moment to pull Sora aside and send him to lock the front door. The kid didn't have to be around for this.

"What, Braig?" Ael asked finally.

"Do you know who did it?" Xehanort asked. Braig glanced at him.

"Yeah, I know."

"Then don't beat around the bush!" Ranele snapped. "Tell us!"

Braig forced himself to stop pacing.

"All right. Someone in this room killed Ansem."

"I know what you're thinking. Why? What reason could any of us possibly have to kill him? Well, that's the only thing I _don't_ know, so you'll have to tell me.

"The killer was smart. He knew, naturally, exactly what we'd do to track him down. He'd done this before. He'd been killing psyches and medical doctors for a few years. Yeah, that one. Why? Because they knew something about him that he didn't want anyone else to know. Maybe Ansem knew it too, and Ienzo, and Riku. He had to cover his tracks, and the way he found to do that was to kill again, and again, and again. There could be no evidence. Nothing at all to suggest he did it… even if that meant slaughtering people who were close to him.

"It was someone who got into Ansem's apartment on his own. Someone Ansem would turn his back to. Someone Ansem trusted more than anyone else. Someone who betrayed him.

"My only question now, Xehanort, is why?"

-

* * *

-

The reaction was immediate. There was a communal gasp and a mass swiveling in chairs. Some moved hastily away. Riku turned to stare at his brother. Xehanort, for his part, looked just as stunned as everyone else.

"What?" he whispered.

"I think I know exactly what happened that night," Braig said. "You went to Ansem's, as usual. Chatted. Had a drink. A little roll in the hay. Then you left, and waited for a couple more visitors to come and go. Couldn't make it too obvious, could you? You went back just after midnight. He didn't panic when he saw you. The second he had his back turned, you got the rope around his neck. But he wasn't going down without a fight. The glass on the bedside table was shattered in the struggle. you picked up a good-sized bit and stabbed him to death, cutting your hand in the process.

"You cleaned up after yourself and went to the doctor's. He fixed you up and took a blood test, which wasn't in your plan. Easy to fix; you got rid of him before the results came in. But too soon, 'cause it was a crime scene by the time they got there, and we got to them first. Your blood, and Ansem's, and tiny fragments of the glass shard you killed him with.

"So what was it, Xeha? Did he know that you were the one who killed the doctors—the ones who examined you after your kidnapping, and others he referred you to? Was there a spat you overreacted to? Was he seeing someone else?"

Xehanort was shaking his head.

"No, I… I didn't… I would never! I… I couldn't have! I_loved_ him! How could you—"

"All the evidence points to it," Braig said. "Your DNA was the only stuff in the room. We found your blood on the carpet with Ansem's. Bits of glass were in the blood test. So was Ansem's blood. You were a patient of all of the doctors, medical or otherwise, but the important ones were the psyches."

"This is impossible!" Xehanort cried, standing up. "I didn't! I didn't do any of that! Don't… I didn't! I would have died myself rather than kill him!"

"You told Riku that there are gaps in your memory," said Braig, and Xehanort stared. "And they all lie conveniently around another death, I'll bet. Explain _that_."

"I… no, I…"

"Do you remember what happened after you left Ansem's for the first time that night? You don't, do you? You don't even remember going home, do you?"

Xehanort was wide-eyed, still shaking his head desperately.

"I didn't kill him!" he cried. "I didn't kill anyone! I loved Ansem! I… I don't…"

He fell suddenly silent. His face changed visibly, the expression sliding from denial to satisfaction in a moment.

"So I killed him," he said. "What now?"

"Now we arrest you," Braig answered. Xehanort laughed.

"You think I'll come quietly?" he asked, grinning.

"You're not the Xehanort I know," Braig said.

"No, he's not," Ienzo said. "I had a suspicion about this. You're split. You were afraid that someone would discover your secret. The psychologists who examined you discovered it first, so you got rid of them. Ansem found out next, and he tried to help you. You killed the doctors he recommended. Finally, you killed him. The other Xehanort tried to tell Riku, so you tried to kill him, too. But why Ansem?"

"Ansem," the Xehanort-who-was-not-quite-Xehanort scoffed. "The avid defender of the city, the knight in shining armor who protected the weak and helpless. Oh, yes, so noble, so good. Then _why couldn't he protect me_?"

"From Maleficent?"

"You have no idea what they did to me," Xehanort spat.

"Enough to split you in half. All Ansem ever did was love you."

"Love me?" Xehanort laughed. "He never loved _me_. Only_him_. The other one. That pathetic weakling doesn't even know that I exist. Don't give him any credit. I was the one who did it. I killed Ansem. And I haven't finished."

Braig saw it coming, but there was nothing he could do. Even as he raised his gun, Xehanort seized Riku and dragged him close, shielding himself and pressing the barrel of his gun to Riku's temple.

"I'm leaving," he said. "Don't try to stop me."

"You know we can't let you get away with this," Ranele snapped, her own gun coming up. Xehanort grinned, and dragged Riku back through the door.

"Come on," Braig said. "Roxas got the door. He's got nowhere to run. Vexen?"

"The lab's locked, he can't go down."

"Lexaeus?"

"The jail's locked, too."

"Can't get out. Only way he can go is up. Luxord, Zexion, Demyx, Vexen, guard the stairwell in case he makes a run for it. The rest of you follow me. I'll go first. We'll fan out on the rooftop. Don't do anything that might put Riku in danger."

"Do you think he'd really do it?"

"He's not the Xehanort we know. Who can tell what he's willing to do?"

Xehanort was waiting at the edge of the roof. The barrel of his gun was nestled securely under Riku's jaw.

"Tell Sora to open the door," he ordered. "And let me pass. Otherwise I'll blow his face off."

"You've got two options," Braig called. "Option one: you let Riku go and drop the gun, and come quietly. Option two: I'll shoot, and you know I won't miss."

"And Riku will be dead before you've finished pulling the trigger. You missed option three: you all put down your guns, and I walk away. I'm taking Riku, as insurance. Besides, I wouldn't leave my beloved little brother."

Braig took a step closer. He saw Riku wince as the gun barrel was shoved harder against his pulse.

"Another step and I jump," Xehanort warned. His heels were just at the roof's edge. "Makes a messy crime scene if the suspect dies, right?"

"Just let him go," Braig said. "Xeha, we can help you."

He took another step. Xehanort's smile was tight.

"That's what _he_ said," he hissed. He aimed at Braig, fired twice, and stepped backwards off the roof.

Dilan saw Braig fall and called, "Marluxia, to him! Lexaeus, an amblulance!"

He ran to the roof's edge and looked down. He could see the still forms lying on the ground two stories down.

"Quickly!"


	11. What Happened Next

**A/N: **Ending a la Ocean's Eleven, sort of. XD**  
**

* * *

**11. What Happened Next**

**-**

* * *

-

Two weeks later, Xehanort was still in a coma. Riku's fall had been cushioned by his brother's body, but he had still sustained injuries. His head was bandaged and he had broken one leg. All of this was a cause of quite some renewed popularity at school, although this was the least of his concerns. Both of Xehanort's shots had found their mark, and Braig had been in critical condition for a while. He had pulled through, if only just. One of his arms was in a sling. The doctors predicted a long period of recovery, but Braig only laughed at them.

"You don't seriously think that these little scratches will keep me down?" the captain had scoffed. "You're out of your fucking minds. I have a city to protect."

"So, uh, Braig?"

"Yeah?"

"Your first bullets."

Braig laughed.

"That's what friends are for."

"What's going to happen now, Braig? To Xehanort, I mean?"

"Ienzo says that this… uh… problem of his is nothing that a little help wouldn't fix after a while. After all, the hardest part is admitting you've got a problem, and he tried to tell Riku, maybe even Ansem. Personally, I think the reason Xeha's still in that coma is that he's fighting a battle in his head, y'know? Squaring everything away. He'll be better when he wakes up, I guarantee it. 'Course, he'll still probably be institutionalized for a while. Better safe than sorry."

"Not just that."

"Ah… with a good lawyer, he can probably get a reduced sentence on an insanity plea. He'll serve some time, though, once he's better. He'll have to."

"And what will happen to Riku? He's too young to legally live alone."

"Oh, I've got a feeling Riku has it all planned out."

-

* * *

_Some time later._

_- _

"Hey. Know what day this is?"

"Of course I do."

"Then get your lazy ass out here. Welcome to parole. Here's your badge and your gun."

"Already?"

"Can't spare an officer. I'll look the other way."

"Thanks."

"Oh, and by the way, you were right about that diamond murder case. The butler did it after all. Riku owes me twenty bucks."

"How's he doing?"

"He's a great detective. Like his dad. Like you. Hop in."

"Where are you taking me?"

"Party. Ansem left you and Riku most of his money, and his place, too. Sora and I helped Riku move in. Got your room all ready for you. I think I remembered to make the bed, I crash there sometimes."

"He did."

"Yeah. Considerate of him, wasn't it? Sorry, it wasn't enough to bail you out."

"I wouldn't have wanted you to. I deserved it."

"Shut it, Xeha. That other one, the killer, he's gone. For good."

"Yeah. Yeah, I know."

"…Xeha?"

"Hm?"

"It's good to see you. Out, I mean."

"Yeah. It's good to see you too."

-

* * *

-

* * *

**A/N:** So, yeah, fastest fic I've ever written that wasn't a oneshot! I heard from a few people that this was a way different style from my other fics... I'd have to agree. There was so much dialogue! Wow!

So, if you're reading this, thanks for sticking with me to the very end!

And remember to press the magic button and tell me what you think! I love reading what you think!


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